We’ve got a bunch of new people now so let’s bring back a classic post. What low stakes conspiracy theory do you believe that you cannot prove but feels right to you?

I’ll start: I believe that dating apps have made a concerted effort to smear in person meeting people and tie it to being “creepy” through social media so you are forced to meet people online(which was the creepy option just 15 years ago)

  • 420blazeit69 [he/him]@hexbear.netEnglish
    72·
    10 months ago

    Major sports leagues are not rigged in the sense that winners are pre-determined, but the refs are told to keep games, serieses, and playoff races close, because blowouts and dominance are boring.

    An NBA ref got busted for betting on games and IIRC talked about how the league would make the above obvious to refs (at least in the postseason). There’s too much money changing hands and too little accountability for shady shit to not happen at all, and this is the type of thing all owners could have a handshake agreement on because they’ll all profit from it and it doesn’t really prejudice any team specifically.

    • operacion_ogro [he/him]@hexbear.netEnglish
      40·
      10 months ago

      I 100% believe this is true and it’s what I thought of when I saw this thread. I’m a fan of a small-market team and it’s obvious that the teams with large markets are given preferential treatment. If you’re an owner, would you rather have 3 million people watching the finals or 30 million people? Their financial interest demands that bigger teams be more successful

      • 420blazeit69 [he/him]@hexbear.netEnglish
        29·
        10 months ago

        Revenue sharing makes that part a lot more believable, but I still find it hard to buy the idea that one group of billionaires (small market owners) would allow a group of their peers (big market owners) to fuck over their hobby (the team) for the sake of ultimately an incremental amount of money. But maybe I’m thinking too small and too recently.